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Daring Bakers, Caramel Cake and Soft Grand Marnier Caramels

November 29, 2008

I can hardly believe that the Daring Bakers are already two years old and that next month will be my own two year anniversary with the group. I can hardly believe that it went from Lisa emailing me with "hey there are four of us making biscotti, are you interested?" to "hey should we have a name?" to a full blown multi national group of bakers of all ages and all levels. We may all see the challenges differently but it does not matter as long there is a good dose of butter, sugar, flour! I am learning so much about others, the way they approach recipes and ideas as well as their cultures. Cheers to two years Daring Bakers and to many more!

I love when things come full circle or half circle or when there is a little something somewhere, a little detail that makes sense to me or/and others. It did this month in the sweetest way (pun completely intended), when Dolores from Culinary Curiosity , along with Alex from Blondie and Brownie and Jenny of Foray into Food chose Shuna's Caramel Cake as our November Challenge. When I first started reading food blogs, I tuned in to Shuna's Eggbeater almost everyday. It took me forever and a day to leave a comment as every time I finished her last sentence I felt so inadequate posting a simple "Wonderful post". She has right the words to describe our industry, about being a chef, a woman, a human being wearing her heart upon her sleeve. I laugh, I cry, I shake my head "yes" and when she announced she was moving to London I was so thrilled for her...following what's next and embracing all the unknowns that go with it.

So yes...making Shuna's Caramel Cake on the Daring Bakers' two year anniversary was one of those little details that mean a lot to me...like paying it forward in some way. And if you have been reading this blog for a little while you know how much I like playing with hot sugar (...blue caramel plate anyone?). Yep, I liked the idea from the get go, especially with a frosting that starts with browned butter. The smell in the house was enough to make you want someone would bottle it up in a perfume! The cake was easy to make and we all (us and the neighbors) loved its texture, and at first the frosting was a little too sweet to me but I did add some fleur de sel which really enhanced its flavor on the second day. Ah! The pleasure of biting into little salt crystals at the same time as biting into that sweet caramel frosting...hmmhmmhmm.

Given that we were given a lot of leeway in the making of the cake, I went ahead and made 4 small cakes instead of one. Granted I love caramel and salt but I also love caramel and citrus so I did add some grated lemon zest to the cake batter and as previously mentionned some fleur de sel to the frosting. I thought I would not have time to make the extra recipe for caramels but I needed to stand and move around after Thanksgiving dinner last night and I went ahead and did Grand Marnier caramels (citrus again) that I wrapped in waxed paper and boxed up in little Christmas tins for gift giving (except half of them are already gone...oops!). From turkey low to sugar high, I think we have all the compenents of a perfect holiday season!For the decoration, there was a bunch of kids eating with us so I kept it simple but did sneak in some "bubble caramel", a caramel technique that makes me giggle everytime I use it, (and the kids too) although be careful as you "play" with pouring hot sugar syrup over alcohol to create the bubble effect.

Thank you Lisa and Ivonne once more and our wonderful hostesses! Check out the rest of the Daring Bakers and their fantabulastic creations here.

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.Sift flour and baking powder. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan. Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan and bring them to a boil. Monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer and bring the mixture to 300F. While the caramel is reaching its desired temperature, take a sheet of parchment paper and crinkle it between your hands then flatten it out a bit. This will help with the forming of the bubbles. Spray rubbing alcohol on the parchement paper right before the caramel reach its temperature (don't do it ahead of time or it will be dry when you are ready to pour). When the caramel is ready, slowly pour it over the parchment paper and watch the bubble form. You can lift the paper carefully to spread it around the surface if needed but watch out! I do this over a large sheetpan so all is required for clean up is hot water. Let cool completely before breaking into shards. This is more a deco than an edible piece of caramel given the alcohol used. I guess one could use a high percentage clear alcohol (maybe my uncle's moonshine that cleans the bottoms of coffee cups!) but I haven't tried it that way yet.

Grand Marnier Caramels, adapted from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert.

Makes eighty-one 1-inch caramelsNote: the original recipe calls for Golden Syrup but I wanted to finish the corn syrup I had so I subsituted one invert sugar for another one without a problem.

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier extract. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

As always, your pictures are gorgeous. And I LOVE the idea of Grand Marnier in the caramels. As I just commented on Ivonne's blog, I didn't make the caramels but now I want to, especially with the gorgeous photos you guys are putting up. Now I think I want to add Grand Marnier to mine. ;)

would vodka work to make the bubble caramel edible? i've save the same recipe from shuna awhile ago, but have yet to make the cake. i do have the caramel syrup already done and kept in the pantry. hehe

What fun you must be to cook with! The children probably had such a blast - to play and then eat :) You make everything so perfectly pretty - seriously, you and Aran are my favorites to see each month. Congrats on 2 years, my friend. xxoo

What size pan did you pour out the caramels into? I've tried making them before, always with great taste but I think I'm pouring them into too large of a pan. Thanks in advance, I love reading your blog--it always makes me hungry!

Your mini-cakes look totally delectable, and I love the idea of adding grand marnier to the caramels to cut through the sweetness a bit.And I miss our chats too! Lis told me she might have some time for a chat soon, and work has slowed down a bit for me, so maybe next week if we all find the time?

A very happy two year DB anniversary to you, Helene, and a warm hug, too. Such beautiful cakes, the photos so exquisite. I'm sighing with it all. You're amazing. Not too much spatualting on this one, was there? ;)

I'm so bummed... everytime I come here, I end up being the quazillioneth to leave you a comment.Nevertheless... I'm always floored by what you achieve. Granted the cake was pretty easy to make, but you've managed to make it look like a Murano handblown bird was sitting on its creamy buttery nest... way too beautiful to eat, but absolutely pure pleasure to admire!

Your photos are amazing, and I bet your cakes taste the same. Thanks so much for posting the adapted Grand Marnier Caramels recipe. I was looking for one last thing to fill up my Christmas gift tins - the caramels are perfect.

I love the idea of "bubble" sugar. I'll have to try that--you're so inspiring. And the blue caramel! Wow. Thanks for linking to your older post. Grand Marnier in the caramels - yum. They have been the sleeper hit of the DB this month at my house! Beautiful!

Beautiful as always! This really was the perfect recipe for the 2nd anniversary of the Daring Bakers...and heres to another year and then some! The small cakes with the brittle decorations are just so charming...almost makes me want to bake this cake all over again.

It's funny, because I almost never comment on your posts since I feel I should say more than just "That looks wonderful" or something of the sorts. But I always read them, and have for almost two years. Yours was the first food blog I encountered, and I suppose it was also you that made me want to start one myself. Funny old thing, how people you'll never know are affected by you.

I absolutely love chewy caramels. My mouth is watering just looking at them and that cake ... oh my...it looks scrumptious. My sister and I are actually getting together this year to do some baking. That will be so much fun.

whoa this is a lot of comments--and you're not even giving anything away! you've reached that celebrity point of popularity!

my little sister was sitting next to me when i opened this page and she looked at the cake and said "is that a candy fish on the top! why is everyone obsessed with fish like you!" i have no idea why she thought that looked like a fish--but the mini-size of that slice of cake is adorable. it's perfect...i think i am going to ask santa claus for a spring form pan for christmas :P

your mini-cakes are so adorable, so elegant and the bubble caramel is a nice touch!But you really made my day with your grand marnier caramels!! I used Cointreau in the frosting, next time, i'll add it to the caramels! Thanks for the idea, Helen, as always inspiring!

Tina: you need to replace one invert sugar with another one for the caramels to work properly. If you use the caramel syrup, the mixture will probably burn before it reaches the right temperature.Here is a link to a recipe to make your own invert sugar syrup to replace the corn syrup:http://www.recipezaar.com/Homemade-Corn-Syrup-Substitute-Simple-Syrup-74080

Thanks Helen for your thoughts! I am glad your parents did not come to Mumbai as part of their tour!! We got back to normal pattern the day after itself - I do not know whether it is due to resilience/indignation but we had to carry on! I guess that is the way anyone else would react too:)

My daughter loved your cake, and the bubble caramel which is new to me! Those tins look very cute! Are they really cake tins or what?

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Looking at your cakes just inspire me to bake again! I definitely will try out this recipe this weekend. One question, if you don't mind: I currently don't own a candy thermometer but want to try out the caramel bubble without it - should I be looking for a certain characteristic in the caramel while it's cooking, i.e. color, size of the bubbles, etc.?

Anonymous: the bubbles only appear when the caramel comes in contact with the alcohol so my best suggestion is to take your caramel off the stove as soon as it starts getting a golden color. It might require a couple of tries but it should work.

I absolutely LOVED the cake and frosting! I've never tasted anything like it, I'm definitely showing your recipes to all of my baking friends! My frosting came out a little soupy, but I know I added too much heavy cream. Still super duper delicious though! Thanks again for the recipes. :D

These look amazing. I am interested in trying the caramels and would like to know how you got them into a cylindrical shape.BY the way- I just ordered your book and am really looking forward to reading it! Thanks!